Situational Statistics: This Year’s Shooting Guard CropJune 10, 2010Jon Scheyer ranks as the most efficient overall scorer here at 1.054 PPP. As one could guess, his tremendous jump shooting ability when left open afforded him success in spot up situations (1.16 PPP), but he surprisingly ranks well above average in isolation (.938 PPP 3rd) and is the most effective pick and roll player on our list (1.16 PPP). Despite his limited quickness, Scheyer is one of the savviest prospects around. If he’s able to show that he can defend his position on a consistent basis, he should be able to carve out a niche for himself in the NBA. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the ACC Part Three (#11-15)October 23, 2009Matthew Kamalsky

A staple of Duke’s rotation for the last three years and a captain for the upcoming campaign, Jon Scheyer enters his senior season looking to build on a year where he led the Blue Devils in steals (1.6), assists (2.8), and three-point percentage (38.5%). After seeing his minutes decline from his freshman to his sophomore season, Scheyer rebounded last year with improved productivity, though he posted the worst field goal percentage of his career at 39.7%. A capable spot up shooter who has built his resume at a top program; Scheyer certainly has some things going for him from an NBA perspective, but will have to earn a spot in the second-round with his play this season due to his obvious shortcomings.

A known commodity at this point, Scheyer’s physical profile remains his biggest weakness from an NBA perspective –making the way he performs on the floor this season that much more critical to his draft stock. A bit undersized and a step slow, Scheyer has never been projected as an NBA star and certainly won’t be picked in the draft based on his upside. However, with three seasons of work under his belt, he has developed some tools that could allow him to make a roster as a roleplayer. His ability to showcase those tools and improve his efficiency will dictate where we have Scheyer slated next spring.

A very capable perimeter scorer, Scheyer’s best asset for the next level is his shooting stroke. Nearly half of the shots he attempted last season were catch and shoot jumpers, regardless of whether they were coming from spot up situations or from running off of screens. The sheer ratio of outside to inside shots Scheyer took accounted for the dip in his overall field goal percentage from 44.4% as a sophomore to 39.7% as a junior. Displaying a smooth release and textbook form that he doesn’t often alter under pressure, the Glenbrook North product makes opposing defenses pay dearly for leaving him open, scoring 1.36 points per possession on open spot up jumpers according to Synergy Sports Technology. Unfortunately, Scheyer’s efficiency falls off the map when he’s well defended with his feet set or after putting the ball on the floor, as his points per-possession on contested catch and shoot jumpers falls all the way to 0.84 in spite of his quick release. Not elevating well on his attempts, Scheyer has an outstanding shot selection for a pure jump shooter, but his inability to create separation with his first step and lack of consistency when defended will be two aspects of his perimeter arsenal to keep an eye on, as they detract from his overall efficiency and ability to be considered a shooting specialist.

In the rare occasions Scheyer drives into the teeth of the defense, he displays some unusual talents, though they aren’t likely to translate to the next level. Not much of a finisher due to his lack of leaping ability, Scheyer gets to the line at an outrageous rate for a jump shooter, landing amongst the top 20 qualified players in our database in FTA/FGA. For someone who doesn’t venture to the rim often and is lights out from the foul line, Scheyer’s basketball IQ is never more apparent than it is when he’s drawing fouls from the midrange.

Unlike most pure shooters, Scheyer can be an asset in other ways, and while his athleticism will limit his ability to make a big impact on the next level, his extremely high basketball IQ helps him fill smaller roles. An extremely steady guard who doesn’t make many spectacular plays, Scheyer is a heady passer and crafty ball handler –two things that helped him perform admirably after moving to the point guard position for stretches late last season. With more opportunities to prove his mettle as a playmaker likely on the way this season, Scheyer’s ability to handle pressure and create baskets for his teammates will be important to his stock and Duke’s success. Though he won’t be a major drive and kick threat on the next level, if Scheyer can improve his ability to run an offense it certainly won’t hurt his cause moving forward.

Defensively, Scheyer’s savvy and anticipation help him make an impact on the college level, but aren’t as advantageous from a NBA perspective. Already showing a lack of lateral quickness against lesser competition, Scheyer doesn’t project as a good defender on the next level. Showing excellent fundamentals, a high effort level, and outstanding awareness in the passing lanes, the young guard’s lack of physical strength and foot speed will likely make him a target in isolation situations and force his teammates to compensate for his shortcomings should he make it to the NBA.

It is hard to discount the basketball IQ and winning mentality Scheyer has displayed during his time at Duke, but his poor shooting percentage, lack of physical tools, and defensive ability will require him to have a big senior season to cement himself as an NBA prospect. With Gerald Henderson moving on, Scheyer would be well served to take advantage of his absence to have a career year. A strong candidate to compete in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament if his past performances are an indication of what he’ll show this season, Scheyer could sneak onto the bottom some draft boards with strong play in the ACC, but he faces an uphill. Playing for a big program, any progress he makes will be magnified, putting his skills, consistency, and lack of athleticism under than much more scrutiny. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the ACC (Part Three: #11-15)October 16, 2008We wrote about Scheyer at this point last year in our preseason look at the ACC, and not a tremendous amount of his game has changed since that time. His numbers took a superficial dip due to the fact that he was removed from the starting lineup, but looking at his per-minute averages and seeing how much he increased his shooting efficiency (39.8% to 44.4%) and assist to turnover ratio (1.17/1 to 2.24/1), one could even make the case for him as being the top 6th man in the country.

The biggest knock against Scheyer will always be his underwhelming physical tools. He has average size, strength and length for the shooting guard position, so the development of his point guard skills is a positive sign for him. Scheyer is an average athlete by college standards, not particularly quick or explosive. He lacks a good deal of bulk, really needing to get stronger in his upper body. What he lacks in physical ability though, he more than makes up for with basketball IQ and craftiness with the ball.

The spot up jumper is still Scheyer’s bread and butter. According to Synergy Sports Technology, over 20% of his shots last season were of the catch and shoot variety and primarily when he was spotting up with his feet set. While he isn’t strictly a perimeter shooter, nearly half of Scheyer’s attempts last season were from beyond the arc. He possesses excellent shooting form, with nice touch and a quick release. This release comes in very handy as he doesn’t elevate very well on his shots; it is this lack of elevation that probably kept him from shooting higher than he did (still a solid 38.8% on 3.6 attempts per game).

When Scheyer does opt to put the ball on the floor, some of his weaknesses as an offensive player become apparent. He doesn’t have a great first step and his ball handling skills are really no better than adequate. He shows an excellent ability to get defenders in the air though and to draw contact, averaging four free throw attempts per game, impressive considering how perimeter oriented his game is. Scheyer also does a nice job of getting position on his defenders as he drives to the basket, this usually allows him to use his solid body control to get a good look at the hoop. He has continually improved his ability to hit the little 10-foot runner off the glass.

Scheyer’s mid-range jumper has to be the most intriguing part of his game that he is continuing to develop. While he isn’t the quickest player by any means, he surprisingly can stop on a dime and rise up for a shot. Even against particularly good defenders he is able to keep his feet under him and stay square to the basket while getting off the shot with his quick release.

On the defensive side of the floor, the same things we have harped on him for in the past still ring true; Scheyer’s lack of quickness and strength hurt him. He gets beat off the dribble on a regular basis by quicker guards and he continues to get bumped off his man too easily by screens. While his lateral quickness may not improve drastically, getting stronger would allow him to body up opponents a little better to help mask the fact that he is sometimes a half a step too slow.

A major key for Scheyer this season will be consistency. He is a very good college player as we have seen (27 points vs. Miami, 21 points vs. NC State) but can just as easily disappear in games (0-8 in 27 minutes vs. Wake Forest). Even coming off the bench, Scheyer is going to get plenty of touches, he is probably the biggest perimeter threat the Blue Devils have this year. As far as his prospects of cracking an NBA roster are concerned, he is a likely 4-year player at the college level, there is probably no way around that. The next two years will be crucial as far as his development is concerned—if he remains stagnant then his chances will likely look slim, but if he continues to diversify his offense and improves defensively, he could earn himself a spot through the pre-draft camps and private workouts. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the ACC (Part Three: #11-#15)October 1, 2007Despite going through a very disappointing season, Duke fans had a lot to be encouraged by from the play of their freshman Jon Scheyer.

Standing 6-5, Scheyer scored a good number of his points from behind the three point line. His job for much of the game was to wait for the ball rotation from the weak side and hit the jumper if left open. Though his jumper lacks elevation, Scheyer gets the ball away very quickly with a high release point. The ability to get the ball off quickly allows him to shoot with accuracy even if the defense has a chance to apply pressure. Scheyer’s three point shot was streaky at times last season, however, especially in ACC games.

Scheyer brings a lot more than three point shooting to the Blue Devils. He ranked second on Duke in free throw attempts last season at 4 per game, coming in only behind Josh McRoberts. Despite lacking an incredibly explosive first step, Scheyer effectively utilizes a combination of shot fakes, jab steps, and other crafty moves to keep the defense off balance. Once at the basket he makes up for a lack of hang time by effectively drawing contact with his body and finishing at a number of different angles. From mid-range, Scheyer shows a lot of promise as well. Last season, the pull-up jumper from 15 feet off of two dribbles was probably the most accurate scoring weapon for the young guard. In addition, he can make a floater inside 10 feet with some accuracy, though he had the tendency to force this shot at times.

Despite a productive freshman season, a few big weaknesses could really limit the NBA potential of Scheyer. A lack of strength sometimes hurts him at the college level, particularly on the defensive end where he often loses his man going through screens. His average size, lateral quickness, and overall athleticism also limits the upside of the sophomore guard. Without a physical improvement, Scheyer will always struggle to create his own shot off the dribble in a half court setting.

If Scheyer could develop into more of a combo guard, his chances of making it in the NBA would greatly increase. He played the 1 in very limited stretches early last season, when Greg Paulus was still recovering from an injury. Scheyer seemed surprisingly comfortable bringing the ball up the court against pressure, but he will need to learn to penetrate from a standstill and run a team more effectively before we can talk about him legitimately as a combo guard.

There is little doubt that Scheyer will become a great scoring threat at the college level, but his NBA upside will depend on how well he overcomes his physical tools. He will play a major role for Duke this season, and his production from behind the three point line will certainly catch the eyes of some scouts. Scheyer will have the next few years to work on his weaknesses against very strong competition in the ACC before attempting to transition his game to the next level. [Read Full Article]At the Jordan Classic: Main Event and Regional Game RecapsApril 24, 2006Jon Scheyer showed how he can contribute elsewhere when his shot isn’t falling, filling up the stat sheet using his non-stop effort to chip in wherever he could. As noted, Scheyer’s shot wasn’t falling, though he was showing consistent form and constantly getting open from behind the arc. He even drew a foul attempting one three-point shot. Scheyer showed off his scrappiness on one of his three-point misses, following it up by driving in to grab his own rebound amidst a crowd. Scheyer was attacking the basket with the ball a bit, too, attempting a reverse lay-up on two separate occasions, missing one and hitting another off the glass. Scheyer also made a handful of drive-and-dishes, both by kicking the ball out to the perimeter or dumping the ball off down low. Scheyer’s passing goes beyond drive-and-dishes, though, as he facilitates ball movement on the perimeter and helps put teammates in good position for shots.

Scheyer was all over the place on the defensive end, attacking the passing lanes and often hustling to get his hand on and loose balls or stray passes. He netted three steals in this game using his anticipation and length to cut into the passing lanes. [Read Full Article]At the Jordan Classic: Friday ScrimmageApril 22, 2006Jon Scheyer had a solid game, not standing out in any one regard, but getting a lot of touches in the offense and making a lot of routine passes to facilitate ball movement for his team, helping his point guard in distributing. Scheyer took two spot-up threes in the game, hitting one. He also got into the lane a few times, drawing a foul attacking the basket, drawing a foul pulling up for a jumper, and dishing the ball off for an assist on one occasion. He doesn’t make many mistakes, is careful with the ball, and helps keep his entire team involved with his unselfishness. [Read Full Article]2006 Nike Hoop Summit Game RecapApril 10, 2006Scheyer had a bad Hoop Summit game, looking tentative when it came to taking a three point shot. Throughout the week, he passed up a lot of open looks when he felt there was any chance of a player getting back and disrupting his shot, and instead settled for worse looks off the dribble. Scheyer receives a lot of JJ Redick comparisons, but Scheyer seems like he is more of a mid-range shoot than a three point shooter at this point in his career. Jon’s shooting stroke from the free throw line is smooth, but doesn’t fall with any sort of consistency. This type of game with a lot of running and going to the hoop isn’t the kind of game for him to best display his talents anyway. Scheyer can get to the hoop, but lacks the athleticism to finish against the much taller opponents on the International Team. Jon should be able to work his way into Duke’s rotation as a freshman, and he’ll have a lot of time to learn to maximize what he can do with his offensive skills. He will need to bulk up and start playing defense to be considered a draft prospect, but Scheyer has all the makings of a good college player. [Read Full Article]